2015 highline BCM upgrade in non-GLI Jetta 2013 TDI?

[kylesobrien]

I've been lurking around the forums for a few years, but after a few desperate days of searching, I've decided to submit my first post -- greetings!

I recently installed an MIB2 Discover Media head unit (component protection deactivated) in my 2013 Jetta TDI. Navigation works, the radio works, but my microphone is not working. I believe this issue can be sorted out with a kit from EZT. However, I also bought a newer CAN gateway to avoid lag, and enable me to interact/scan the radio with VCDS, potentially install a backup camera later, etc.

It seems I was foolish, as the CAN bus gateway appears to be integrated into the BCM on lowline North American Jettas of this era... The questions I was hoping to ask here:

- can I upgrade my original 2013 BCM (5C0 937 087 A) to a 2015 Jetta highline BCM (such as 7H0 937 090 E)?
- would this upgrade make it possible to install a lowline reverse camera kit?
- would this BCM recognize the MIB2 unit properly, and allow me to interact with it via VCDS (currently, I see fault codes for the radio and telephone modules)?
- does this swap require a dealer visit, or a garage with ODIS access to sort out component protection issues?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice -- if this is just a really terrible idea, feel free to tell me, I won't take it personally.

 

[pedroYUL]

These are not easy questions. Let me call @Nuje and @Cuzoe who are retrofit afficionados

 

[kylesobrien]

@pedroYUL Thanks! I appreciate it, I did a lot of work on my 1992 8V GTI and 2003 1.8T GTI years ago, but things were somewhat less complicated then...

 

[Cuzoe]

Oh man... I know nothing about PQ35 (is that correct?) platform. @Nuje may know something, but I've only done retrofits on my MQB.

 

[kylesobrien]

Oh man... I know nothing about PQ35 (is that correct?) platform. @Nuje may know something, but I've only done retrofits on my MQB.

Thanks for jumping in, @Cuzoe.

I might be mistaken, but I think the non-GLI Jettas of my car's era are actually PQ25, not PQ35 -- mentioned on the RossTech page here:

VW Jetta (16) Body Control Module - Ross-Tech Wiki

... and also on this TDIClub thread I just found here:

Full mfd upgrade | TDIClub Forums

If I understand correctly, physically, they're Jetta sedans, but the electronics seem to have more in common with Polos than Passats.

Last night I found a blog post that seems to summarize the removal/install -- it's in Portuguese and English (scroll down). This guy was working with a PQ35 Jetta, but I suspect the process/coding is similar:

MK6 CECM UPGRADE - BCM SWAP. Troca da Central eletronica do JETTA

Hoje vamos começar a mostrar como trocar a central eletrônica do Jetta, de Midline para Highline. Basicamente a central é o cérebro do carro...

volksurf.blogspot.com

I think it's doable, at least. It looks like the odometer data is stored in the cluster and ECU, so that's good, won't cause issues there.

My current cable is a Micro-CAN, which I don't think will read extended coding on newer modules (like the MIB2 unit), so even if I do this I will probably need to upgrade to a HEX-V2 or similarly new interface. A bit of a gamble but at least I see evidence I'm not the first to try.

 

[kylesobrien]

@vito3223 Sorry for bugging you, but I believe you upgraded your Jetta cluster many years ago, curious if you have any thoughts on swapping a newer PQ25 BCM into my TDI which will properly recognize an MIB2 radio.

 

[pedroYUL]

I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect you will need ODIS (or hack the MIB2) to get rid of Component Protection.

The way I understand it works is, CP is a handshake between whatever it is, say MIB2, and the gateway. Either of the 2 not talking and it triggers CP in both the gateway and the component.

If you replace the gateway, then all the handshakes need to be reestablished: MIB, BCM...

You can hack some brands of MIB2 yourself, info was published in the mk7golf site. But you need a few gadgets and lots of reading.

 

[kylesobrien]

A brief update, I found a Ross-Tech post including an autoscan log where the Jetta owner has the same BCM I mention above, with integrated CAN gateway, and it includes address 5F (the MIB2) with a summary of all the current adaptations.

The same poster has both park distance control and a reverse camera installed:

OPS control overlay not auto-hiding on MIB Discover Media (2015 Jetta) | Ross-Tech Forums

I purchased a new "old stock" BCM (7H0 937 090E) which I'm going to have installed, this should do the trick; can post a quick update assuming I'm successful. Thanks to everyone for the help, really appreciated.

 

[kylesobrien]

I never did post here with an update, but doing it now in case it helps someone later. In any case:

- can I upgrade my original 2013 BCM (5C0 937 087 A) to a 2015 Jetta highline BCM (such as 7H0 937 090 E)?

Yes and no -- there are compatible highline BCMs, but my initial guess was not the correct one. Thanks to partslink24 for making the correct choice obvious.

Update: the correct part number for a 2013 Jetta TDI is 5C5 937 087G/Z0B, *not* 7H0 937 090 E, which has a very different pinout. The former works properly (e.g. windows operate, the MFD switches on steering wheel work again, etc.)

- would this upgrade make it possible to install a lowline reverse camera kit?

Yes.

- would this BCM recognize the MIB2 unit properly, and allow me to interact with it via VCDS (currently, I see fault codes for the radio and telephone modules)?

Yes, the MIB2 appears as address 5F, and I can configure the head unit using VCDS. It is possible to enable the reverse camera as a result.

- does this swap require a dealer visit, or a garage with ODIS access to sort out component protection issues?

No. I had no issues with component protection. Ironically I did take it to a shop with ODIS access, and they installed it, but did not disable factory mode (my BCM was NOS and not previously installed in a vehicle). It was fun trying to understand why it was possible to unlock the doors with the toggle switch but not lock them with it.